| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Bees Knees |
Anyone got any ideas where we can reduce, re-use, recycle We are very consious about our carbon foot print here at the Bees Knees guest house and have already implemented the following to try and reduce our carbon foot print. Has anyone got any ideas bearing mind that we are a guest house of what else we can do? So far we:
Recycle all our paper and card, Plastic containers and cans. We compost any garden or uncooked food produce. We use Eco friendly toiletries and recycled loo paper. We provide glasses in guest rooms instead of plastic ones and 100% Egyptian cotton bedding and towelling. Never leave anything on standby and turn it off in mains when not in use. We had a new condensing boiler put in in oct 2007 and it is regularly serviced. We use those new fandangle energy efficient light bulbs, where we can get them to fit the size needed. Our biggest wasteage is uneaten food, or food we have bought for the guest house but is not eaten. At the moment, we make jam with left over fresh fruit and soup from mushrooms. I know it sounds like we are doing a lot already but we feel its a drop in the ocean and wondered if any one has any other ideas? |
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| Ian33568 |
Your track record speaks for itself however if not already doing the following, maybe give them a go:
Buy food locally Source your toiletries from a local producer Timers on lights/gadgets Grow as much as possible Encourage cycling breaks - maybe provide a couple of bikes Batch cook and freeze things such as soups Turn the heating down a couple of degrees Get guests to suggest other green initiatives - encourage feedback .....well done for a good start. |
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| sean |
The YHA gives priority booking/cheaper rates to people who arrive on foot/by bike. | ||
| Bees Knees |
Hey! this is great, keep it coming Hello Ian and Sean,
Thanks for your ideas, there is certainly some stuff we can get to work on. We have a local company down here that make toiletries, but sadly they are not eco friendly and their procuts contain a lot of chemicals and additives. I did look at the idea of making our own soap using flowers from the garden but the legislation was unbelievable and very expensive. Is there anyone out there who makes soap from natural, organic products? if so please get in touch. Sean I never knew that about YHA's. You've given me an idea, we've got a guy just up the road who repairs and sells cycles. Watch this space! Has anyone got any ideas for sourcing engerging saving lighbulbs of different sizes. Our ceiling lights are energy efficient but our wall lights have fittings that will not take them as the bulbs are too long and stick out the top of the shade. Thanks for your input! |
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| goldy1 |
I have put my feelers out for soap makers in your area. 
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| Bees Knees |
Much apreciated thank you.
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| Helen_A |
Organic/fairtrade as 'standard' where not 'local'. You could also look at getting a juicer or similar so that you are making juice rather than buying it, and talk to local Country Markets to source things that you don't or can't make foodwise, and as a possible source of local produce?
Um, definately 'eco' toiletry makers in your area Links to some on the Natural Products show website.
Have a look at LED based bulbs for the wall lights, as they come in at standard sizing and some are very 'friendly' colourwise now (you'll probably have to try a few to get it sorted). Power use is very low with these as well (we save even compared to energy saving bulbs). Looking for a green electricity supplier is probably your next thing - ignore the 'big' co's as their idea of 'green' is, um, interestingly not very... We are with Good Energy here (small amount of commercial use, but mainly domestic. They also now offer a gas option, not that we use it, lol) but Ecotricity is also a 'better' one depending on where you are in the UK and the tariff you choose. |
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| marigold |
Sounds like you are doing more than most already!
You could also use leftover fruit to make cakes - e.g. Dorset Apple Cake? Pears make a nice upside down cake which can be eaten hot as a pudding or cold to accompany tea. Leftover bread could be recycled as B&B pudding, summer pudding or fruity bread pudding. Maybe you could offer homemade cakes to guests to take home with them as a sideline? Are your linens organic? Cotton is nicer to sleep in than synthetics, but the production of non-organic cotton involves a lot of chemicals. I put cooked leftover fruit/veg in the compost bin (though I rarely have leftovers!) as well as raw peelings etc. Used taebags and coffee grounds can also go in the compo bin. You can buy tea grown in Cornwall which is more local than Indian or China tea  .
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| Clara |
Replace paper with cloth where possible - napkins, kitchen towel, hankies etc. We use cloth instead of loo roll - perhaps not viable in a B&B but for personal use much more civilised than tissue | ||
| alison |
http://www.green-business.co.uk/
Try looking here. |
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| Bees Knees |
Hey this is great! Hey! guys this is great,
some of the things your suggesting we already do, but there's a lot of stuff youre suggesting that we dont. I didnt know about some non organic cotton being produced using chemicals. I must look into how Egyptian cotton is made. I made Dorset Apple Cake using some left over apples, I used a recipe off BBC UK TV food and it was a lovely tasting cake but the recipe gave the wrong quantities for the apples. the centre came out really soggy. Still looking for a good recipie & guests really appreciate having a home made treat in their rooms. I make jams when I have a glut of fruits and sell this to our guests as a momento of their stay. Breads not a problem as we make our own and people tend to eat it all! Graham and I make our own breakfast sausages and smoke locally caught herrings to serve as fresh home smoked kippers. I will definately have a look at the Green business link and see what I can find out from them too. Thanks again, Y'all. fantastic feed back and appreciate the time youve taken to answer my question. Shell |
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| bagpuss |
You can add apples to a standard all in one sponge, I find 2-3 apples (small to medium in size) chopped up works fine in a 3 egg mix | ||
| Clara |
Re: Hey this is great!
Unfortunately the reason why there is such a big deal about organic cotton is because if it ain't organic it's been grown with vast amounts of pesticides - estimates up to 25% of total pesticide usage worldwide goes on cotton crops - endangering the land and the people where it is grown. I was having another thought about this thread and how businesses which rely on presentation have a tougher time going green than an individual, so perhaps you have to be more inventive! When you have to replace something look to do it secondhand rather than new - but in your case, say if it were crockery etc then you would have to think "vintage" rather than just any old secondhand. While there is some interesting stuff here (cornish tea - fab), it's interesting to note that a lot of it is "buy this instead of that" rather than REDUCE, reuse, recycle - that first R is the most fundamental one. You've already said you're reducing your electricity usage, are you able to do anything about water? You can get gadgets to fit in your taps, showerheads and cisterns to reduce water used without reducing functionality. |
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| alison |
Interestingly recently, with a group of environmentals staying, not hte ds weekend, most lights were left on in bedrooms, and tvs, whilst the guests were having breakfast. In some cases all the lights. | ||
| cab |
Re: Anyone got any ideas where we can reduce, re-use, recycl
If anyone comes by bicycle, do you have secure, safe bike locking? Local sourcing of products that you're using would be a big deal if I were looking for somewhere to stay down there. And the more of that kind of thing you've processed or made yourself (who wouldn't prefer home made jam?) the better! |
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| Lorrainelovesplants |
Cornish tea - very expensive.
Wash sheets & towels on a cool wash (they dont really need anything else) Scrubbing the toilet is cheaper and more eco friendly than putting bleach down it. We only bleach once a week now. Use cloths rather than kitchen roll................ wipeout grill tray/oven trays with kitchen roll and use these as firelighters............. use LED lightbulbs as much as possible. hot water bottle instead of electric blanket. |
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| Ian33568 |
A friend here in Asturias runs an Organic farm and Eco Hotel - he has an environmental policy and promotes his efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle to guests - this might help to remind people that they need to a. practice what they preach b. respect your efforts and follow suit. |
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| tinyclanger |
Hello,
CoaST is a sustainable tourism organisation based in Cornwall but I believe that they are now spreading out, They have a website http://www.cstn.org.uk/Page3.asp?id=49&level=0 which has lots of ideas. They are a not for profit social enterprise. cheers, em |